Dear Jasmine: Kitchen Witchery

I am new on my pagan path and I am interested in kitchen witchery or hedge witchery, I feel so overwhelmed by all the information out there that I just do not know where to start. What do you recommend?

Sincerely,

Dee

Making Frybread. Image by Sgt. Enrique S. Diaz.

Dear Dee,

I have been a Kitchen Witch in my personal daily practice for about 7 or 8 years now. If I was to say there was a unifying principal between all kitchen and hedge witches it would be that they all involve solitary workings and each witch defines her practice differently. So with that in mind I will answer you, but remember what works for me does not work for everyone else in this type of practice.

The first thing I tell people when they ask me about my experiences with Kitchen Witchery is that I cook and make my brews with intent. This could be as simple as a Sunday dinner for my family where I bless the food with love and peace, or as intricate as a batch of incense that is imbued with a specific spell or even deep protections and more. The things I make come with heart and purpose. I have a very extensive collection of herbs that I use for this practice. But other than that most of my magical tools are directly from the kitchen. This could be as simple as me blessing the wooden spoon I plan to use that day. I see my kitchen as a magical space and have religious items tucked away in many corners of the room. I smudge my kitchen when needed, and I treat my kitchen like a temple making sure I always physically clean it before I do a working. I use herbal remedies, make incense, my own perfumes, bath salts and more and consider all of these a part of my practice.

Hedge Witchery is also varied in definition but the term “hedge” is similarly defined as shamanic journeying. Some say it is a combination of kitchen witch practices mixed with shamanic workings. Hedges often lined the outer limits of villages and hedge witches often push the limits of the material world. It involves trance working and connecting to spirits from the other side to bring back messages for growth, divination and more. For more information I recommend checking out this article, http://witchofforestgrove.com/2009/09/13/hedge-witchery/ .

There are many more things that go with each of these paths but the most important thing is you find what is right for you. Since you are pretty much forging your own path in a solitary environment I suggest researching what interests you. If herb lore is your thing, read books on herbs. If cooking is where you want to go, find new dishes that have meanings to you magically. If trance working is something you want to get involved with, explore different ways to go into trances. Any of these paths can be integrated with a variety of interests and pantheons in the neo-pagan diaspora. Best of luck to you in this new journey.

Sincerely,

Jasmine.

Jasmine is a 15 year veteran pagan and Wiccan High Priestess and has been a leader in her local pagan community and done spiritual counseling. To submit questions please email JasmineMoon@gmail.com.

Jasmine is one of the founders of a The Prairie Earth Society, a local pagan group in Eastern Iowa. She is also a mother of a 3 year old son, and a wife to an agnostic. Jasmine is one of the rare pagans that can say that Paganism was her first faith. She was raised in an Italian-American, Roman-Catholic family, that decided to let her choose her own path. They were not expecting her to start studying Wicca when she was in her late teens, or to continue for over 15 years and counting. When she went on to college she studied Anthropology and Education. While there she also began studying the Gardnerian Tradition, and was initiated in 2001 at the age of 21. Jasmine was further trained about folk magic by her mentor who is a master herbalist and family traditional kitchen witch. She moved to Iowa and began to practice as a kitchen witch herself, specializing in incense making and Italian-American cuisine. She is now a 2nd degree High Priestess of Enchanted Fire Dance Grove and teacher of the Gardnerian Tradition. Jasmine is also the Author of the blog, www.TheSpiritualMother.com. Jasmine has also attended many pagan festivals over the years such as Phoenix Phyre and Pagan Spirit Gathering and numerous British Traditionalist Wiccan fests and local gatherings. She also plans local workshops and classes and runs a local New Age Book Club. She is experienced in networking and conversing with many pagans from all over the country.

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